Device for cleaning and drying a surface

ABSTRACT

A device is provided for cleaning a surface and removing excess cleaning fluid from the surface in one step. The device includes a sponge and a cover which encases the sponge. A holder for retaining the sponge and the cover. The holder includes a lower base and a front wall extending generally at right angles from the lower base and a rear wall extending substantially at right angles from another edge of the lower base. An upper base is located above the lower base and adjacent the lower base. The upper base inclines from the front wall to the rear wall. A rack of teeth on the rear wall and the upper edge of the front wall retain the sponge and cover in the holder. A flap is slidably mounted in the slot in one end panel and between the lower base and the upper base. A handle is secured to the base panel opposite from the upper panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to devices for cleaning surfaces, and more particularly, to a device that simultaneously washes and removes the excess fluid from a surface such as a blackboard.

2. Prior Art

various patents have dealt with the cleaning and drying of surfaces such as windows and blackboards. An early example is the Jacobsen Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,745. Jacobsen teaches a cellular sponge with a rectangular shape and with a squeegee along one edge.

The Fahy Patent, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 352,142, teaches a combination sponge and squeegee. However, the device taught by Fahy does not permit the simultaneous washing and drying. With the device of Fahy, the sponge is used first and then is turned over to use a squeegee.

The Feldstein Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,986 is a comparatively complicated device with both a sponge and a squeegee but the two must be used separately.

OBJECTS

The objects of this invention are to provide a cleaning device with a sponge and a squeegee as follows:

1. That simultaneously in one operation cleans and removes excess fluid in one operation.

2. That is convenient to hold and to use.

3. That permits easy and rapid removal of the sponge for cleaning.

4. That is durable.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device for cleaning a surface and removing excess fluid from the surface in one step is provided. A cleaning member that is absorbent is mounted in a holder. The holder for retaining the cleaning member includes a base means, a front wall extending from the base means and a rear wall extending from the base means. means secure the cleaning member within the holder. A handle is secured to the base means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the device showing the surface of the sponge and cover which contacts the surface to be cleaned with the cover partially broken away to show the sponge and showing the front and rear walls of the device with the squeegee on the rear wall.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view similar to FIG. 1 with the sponge outside of the holder showing the teeth in the holder and the flap within the holder.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the holder with the squeegee in place and with the flap withdrawn from the holder and bent around the sponge and cover.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of the device showing the outside of the lower base with the handle on the outside of the lower base and also showing the rear wall with the squeegee.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the sponge and cover in the holder taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 showing the sponge within the cover between the font wall and the rear wall with the flap, upper base and lower base beneath the sponge and cover.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but with the sponge and cover and squeegee in contact with a surface to be cleaned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERALS NUMERAL DESCRIPTION 11 Sponge 13 Cover 15 Holder 17 Upper Base 19 Lower Base 21 Long Sides 23 Short Sides 24 Flap 25 Guide 26 Front Wall 27 Rear Wall 29 Squeegee 33 Upper Edge 35 Cap 37 Lip 39 Top Edge 41 Rear Cap 43 Inner Front Wall 45 Inner Top Edge 47 Extension 49 Inner Rear Wall 51 Ridge 53 V-shaped Teeth 55 Spacer Plate 57 Squeegee Holder 59 Retainer 60 Bolts and Wing Nuts 63 Top Edge 64 Rear Cap 65 Base Ends 67 Handle

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, a sponge 11 is shown wrapped in a cover 13 which is preferably terry cloth. The sponge 11 is preferably a firm sponge and the cover 13 is tightly fitted over the sponge 11. The sponge 11 and the cover 13 provide a cleaning member.

A holder 15 for the sponge 11 (FIG. 5) has a upper base 17 and a lower base 19. The upper base 17 and the lower base 19 are both rectangular having two long sides 21 and two short sides 23. A flap 24, which can be pulled out, is placed over the upper base 17 and is retained in place by a guide 25 mounted on the upper base 17. Along one long side 21 of both the upper base 17 and the lower base 19 is a front wall 26. A rear wall 27 is substantially parallel to the front wall 26. However, the rear wall 27 extends further from the lower base 19 and the upper base 17 than does the front wall 26. The rear wall 27 has a squeegee 29 mounted on it which extends well above the rear wall 27. A front wall 26, as previously stated, extends a much shorter distance from the lower base 19 and the upper base 17 than does the rear wall 27. The front wall 26 has an upper edge 33 which is rounded and is also bent over toward the rear wall 27. The upper edge 33 of the front wall 26 is covered by a cap 35. This upper edge 33 forms a lip 37.

The upper base 17 slopes upwardly from the front wall 26 to the rear wall 27 and therefore the upper base 17 is further from the lower base 19 at the rear wall 27 than at the front wall 26. The front wall 26, the lower base 19 and the rear wall 27 are preferably produced from one sheet of material. The front wall 26 is (FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) generally at a right angle to the lower base 19 and the front wall 26 and is generally parallel to the front wall 26. The rear wall 27 also has a top edge 39 which is covered by a rear cap 41.

The upper base 17 is also preferably formed from one sheet. An inner front wall 43 is located at an acute angle to the front wall 26. The inner front wall 43 has an inner top edge 45 which bends generally at a right angle to the inner front wall 43 forming an extension 47 for a short distance which extends away from the front wall 26 and grips the cover 13 and sponge 11. The inner front wall 43 slopes from the inner top edge 45 at an acute angle toward the front wall 26 and then bends at an angle which is smaller than a right angle to form the upper base 17. The upper base 17 bends upwardly from the upper base 17 to form an inner real wall 49. The inner rear wall 49 extends upwardly away from the upper base 17 and the lower base 19 for a short distance which is less than the length of the front wall 26.

The inner rear wall 19 is located at generally a right angle from the upper base 17 and extends for a short distance forming a ridge 51 which extends generally toward the front wall 26 and the inner front wall 43. The ridge 51 forms a series or rack of V-shaped teeth 53 which penetrate and secure the cover 13 and sponge 11 and are, with the extension 47, the means for securing the sponge 11 and the cover 13 within the holder 15. These V-shaped teeth 53 serve to hold the cover 13 and sponge 11 when the cover 13 and sponge 11 are in place in the holder 15.

A spacer plate 55 is mounted against the rear wall 27. A squeegee holder 57 is mounted on the spacer plate 55. The squeegee holder 57 extends slightly beyond both sides of the rear wall 27 and bends generally at right angles at both ends toward the front wall 26 to form a retainer 59 to hold the squeegee 29. Bolts and wing nuts 60 retain the spacer plate 55 and the squeegee holder 57 against the rear wall 27.

The rear wall 27 also has a top edge 63 with a rear cap 64 and above the top edge 63 of the rear wall 27 is the squeegee 61 which extends the entire length of the rear wall 27. When in place in the holder 15, the sponge 11 and cover 13, at the rear wall, extends just slightly above the squeegee 61. At both ends of the holder 15 there are base ends 65 which extend from the lower base 19 between the front wall 26 and the rear wall 27 for a short distance. One base end 65 is secured to the flap 24 and serves as a pull for the flap 24. The other base end 65 is secured to the lower base 19. The flap 24 as previously stated is maintained in place to slide by a guide 25.

The sponge 11, when in place in the holder 15, extends just slightly above the top end 63 of the rear wall 27 and thus slightly above the squeegee 61. By compressing the cover 13 and the sponge 11 against the surface being cleaned, the sponge 11 and cover 13 compress and the squeegee 29 engages the surface being cleaned. As best seen in FIG. 3, the flap 24 can be pulled out and bent over the sponge 11 and cover 13 to press the cover 13 and sponge 11 to remove excess cleaning fluid without having to touch the sponge 11 and cover 13. Once the sponge 11 has been properly pressed to remove excess cleaning fluid, the flap 24 can be readily slid back into the space above the upper base 17.

To use the device, it is held in one hand by a handle 67 located centrally on the on the side of the lower base 19 opposite from the upper base 17 with the sponge 11 and cover 13 facing upwardly. One side of the sponge 11 and cover 13 is held by the V-shaped teeth 53. With the other hand, the opposite side of the sponge 11 and cover 13 from the V-shaped teeth is pressed down under the lip 37 of the front wall 26 and the extension 47 of the inner front wall 43 which secures the sponge 11 and cover 13 in the holder 15. The holder 15 with the sponge 11 and cover in place is then ready for use. When used for cleaning a blackboard, for instance, at least twelve feet of blackboard can be cleaned without either turning the sponge 11 and cover 13 or returning to the cleaning fluid. The sponge 11 and cover 13 can be turned over and are once again ready for use without returning to the cleaning fluid. When the sponge 11 and cover 13 is dipped into the cleaning fluid, the flap 24 may be readily pulled out and used to remove excess cleaning fluid without anyone contacting the sponge 11 and cover 13. As the sponge 11 and cover 13 is pulled across the surface, the squeegee 29 removes any excess cleaning fluid without any additional effort.

It is to be understood that the drawings and description matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various elements exist to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A device for cleaning a surface and removing excess fluid from the surface in one step, the device comprising: a cleaning member that is absorbent; a holder for retaining the cleaning member including: a base means; a front wall extending from the base means; a rear wall extending from the base means; means for securing the cleaning member within the cleaning member; and a handle scarred to the base means.
 2. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning member is a sponge.
 3. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning member includes a sponge with a cloth cover.
 4. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the base means includes a lower base and an upper base.
 5. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the front wall extends generally at right angles from the base means.
 6. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the front wall extends generally at right angles from the base means, the front wall having an upper edge, the upper edge extending back toward the base means.
 7. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the rear wall extends substantially at right angles from the base means.
 8. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 wherein the means for securing the cleaning member includes a rack of teeth mounted on the rear wall.
 9. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 1 further including a flap slidably mounted above the base means.
 10. A device for cleaning a surface and removing excess cleaning fluid from the surface in one step, the device comprising: a sponge; a cover encasing the sponge; a holder for retaining the sponge and the cover including: a lower base; a front wall extending generally at right angles from the lower base; a rear wall extending substantially at right angles from the other long edge of the lower base; an upper base located above the lower base and adjacent the lower base, the upper base being inclined from the front wall to the rear wall; means to retain the sponge and cover in the holder; a flap slidably mounted in the slot in one end panel and between the lower base and the upper base; and a handle secured to the base panel opposite from the upper panel.
 11. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 10 wherein the sponge is firm and oblong and the cover is terry cloth.
 12. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 10 wherein the front wall as an upper edge, the upper edge extending back toward the lower base.
 13. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 10 wherein the means to retain the sponge and cover in the holder includes a rack of teeth mounted on the rear wall substantially at right angles to the rear wall and adjacent to and above the upper base.
 14. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 10 further including two end panels secured to the lower base and the front panel and the rear panel, each end panel having a top edge below the top edge of the front wall, one end panel having a slot in it.
 15. A device for cleaning a surface and removing excess cleaning fluid from the surface in one step, the device comprising: a sponge that is firm and oblong in shape; a cover firmly encasing the sponge, the cover being terry cloth; a holder for retaining the sponge and the cover including: a lower base; a front wall extending generally at right angles from the lower base, the front wall having an upper edge, the upper edge extending back toward the lower base; a rear wall extending substantially at right angles from the other long edge of the lower base; an upper base located above the lower base and adjacent the lower base, the upper base being inclined from the front wall to the rear wall; a rack of teeth mounted on the rear wall substantially at right angles to the rear wall and adjacent to and above the upper base; a flap slidably mounted in the slot in one end panel and between the lower base and the upper base; and a handle secured to the base panel opposite from the upper panel.
 16. A device for cleaning a surface according to claim 15 further including two end panels secured to the lower base an the front panel and the rear panel, each front panel having a top edge below the top edge of the front wall, one end panel having a slot in it; 